Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Calling Dr. Rivera……..Dr. Rivera to the mound Stat!

10/21/09 Blog Note:

For some reason, the originator of the Mariano Rivera video clip has removed it from the Youtube.com files. Hopefully this was not done because of a overpowering amount of pressure thrown at him by New York Yankees fans. But since a second angle did not make the video’s evidence conclusive, he might have decided to pull it down.Have to admit, if I had a video I felt strongly about it would take a court order to pull it off my site. But that is the world we live in today. Sometimes things are not what they seem, and pressure can make you change your own strong will and integrity. I am still leaving the video up on the blog on because I feel if you post it, you believe in it. Plain and simple.

There is photo evidence of a “doctored” pitch by Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera during his relief appearance in Game 3 of the ALCS in Anaheim, California. Now this is not so shocking to me since every pitcher who has ever graced a mound in the MLB might at times have a dark secret under their caps. And this would not be the first time a pitcher has ever stepped beyond the realm of the rules to vex his own “alleged” spit towards the small white sphere.

But the immediate outrage might be a bit subdued compared to some stories that have broke during the 2009 season. For this is no “steroid” usage article, but this was a high visibility pitcher who might have been caught with video evidence that Major League pitchers sometimes do things outside the boundaries of their perfect job description.

From an extra bit of sticky rosin residue on their caps, pant legs or maybe even a hidden smudge spot of pine tar situated somewhere on their gloves, this is not the first time, or the last time a MLB pitcher will have their mound integrity called into question.

It is more a case of who got caught in this instance than why it was done in the first place. If it had been Angels reliever Jason Bulger or Kevin Jepsen, we might not even have a simple comment voiced. The evidence and the story are going global because a big fish got caught in the net this time.

Rivera has been the Major Leagues closer icon and a Yankee legend for so long that people forget he is also a pitcher who might sometimes enjoy an extra zippy edge on his cutter from time to time.

And he might have got caught yesterday by a camera using an extra slippery substances that can only be proven by DNA samples. But seriously here, are we going to even go there. Not only do the Angels and MLB not have the ball in question, but it also doesn’t show a camera angle from behind the mound towards Home Plate.

This angle would produce beyond a shadow of a doubt that the “spit” in question actually landed on the ball and did not miss it and proceed downward to the mound clay. And even with a high definition video in hand, it is still missing the other single camera clip image from a Fox Television camera in HD completely proves guilt here.

Who is to say that when an MLB pitcher goes to his backside and then to his glove, then comes off the mound and rubs a baseball during a game he is not applying a substance? You have to assume on every pitch that the pitcher on the mound is doing it right, and by the rules. So why is it automatically taken as a proof par excellence that a website, www.HalosHeaven.com might have the only evidence in the world of this “alleged” doctoring of the baseball by Rivera.

Now if there is a reverse camera angle video, or a single frame shot taken from the Visitor’s dugout that shows that Rivera did indeed provide some extra swerve to his cutter, than you can expect a MLB investigation and possible further action quickly. And you can bet that Fox right now is also scouring those tapes and looking for their own brand of either condemning or absolving Rivera.

With the advent of sites like Youtube and Twitter, such information is relayed as quick as our nimble fingers can pop it onto our screens. And sometimes those videos and photos do not show all the truth. Videos are always made that show a doctored view of someone’s world.

In this case, the video is taken directly off the network feed, and doesn’t show any evidence of being altered. But without that one definite camera angle, this video is just that…… a video right now. If Fox or anyone else can come up with additional angles or even a Home Plate to the mound shot that shows that spit “halo” above the ball, then the course of action will change 180 degrees and the Yankee spin doctors will work long into the night.

Balls have been doctored before in games, and people have been caught. If the evidence provided by the website does lead to more close investigation of the situation, and if it is indeed an action that can be validated, then MLB will be swift with its sword. But until then we have to keep an open mind that Rivera might be both innocent and guilty at the same time.

No matter what the result of any further investigation or video footage will bring out in the coming days, you either feel he is innocent or guilty. And with that you will have an opinion and a comment to make. My personal thoughts might be that he might have done the action, but since it did not play into the final result of the game, it should be logged, looked at and if no action is warranted….forgotten. So, what do you think?

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10 Comments

This is a non-story. MLB already reviewed the so-called evidence and said it was inconclusive. Camera angles compress images, HD or not. Those of us who watch Mo on a daily basis see him spit all the time – and not at the ball.

Jane,
As I noted towards the end of the blog, it did not factor into the result of the game, so it is minor even if true.
But that is the cruifix of the Internet.
Things can be blown out of proportion, altered, and also just posted without regards to any slander or libel laws because it is…………..opinion according to the courts.
I am not upset either way, just following the trends of the day.

I can’t see the video right now but whatever it shows, I think he is inncocent until proven guilty. But if any pitcher is caught cheating, I think they should be suspended. Of course, MLB can’t even get the steroid thing right, so I cannot imagine a diffferent outcome on this subject.

Jenn,
I was really hoping that someone, somewhere had a secondary look at this situation from the other angle.
I still feel it is a bit more speculation than anything, but so much wild stuff has been brought out this season you do not take anything to chance.
I agree the “steroid” banishment and punishments have been more of a joke than a true embarrassment to the players.

Cliff – another video will of the incident will be found. And I wonder if all the Yankee fans who say this is a “non-issue” would say the same thing if it was Papelbon. Thank you for reporting on this.

Bob,
I have not seen that Sports Illustrated issue, but I am about three weeks behind on my reading of that magazine and the ESPN magazine.
Sometimes pitchers do not have their “a” stuff, so they might dabble in some gray areas.
It is rare to be caught, and even rarer to admit guilt, so he is the only one who truly knows……….And we know he is not going to say anything.
For now, I say he is just in that middle ground where people will believe what they want to believe now.

Julia,
Honestly, as far as I am concerned it is over, but you know he will be closely watched by a few video hounds for awhile now.
But that can also go to showing his innocence too. If they do not find anything, he can not be grilled by fans, bloggers or the media for a “ghost;y” appearance of a spitball.
Guess time will tell on this one.

This shouldnt really matter. Rivera spits all the time. If he was trying to doctor the ball, Im sure he wouldnt have done it out in the open like that, in full view of the umpires. Besides, I find it hard to believe he would be doing this for as long as hes been dominant and not 1 person would catch on beforehand.
Also, that 2nd image youve got which shows some alleged spit right above the balls is actually the logo on an Angels jacket. FOX was transitioning the picture from Rivera to the Angels dugout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99D65C1Z6Zg
Though its all a moot point. Angels won that game and MLB decided hes innocent

YHH,
At the time it was written, the video gave a false look of it going towards the ball, but I also did not find him guilty, but was more of investigating than accusing at that moment.
Since then things have come out to show his innocence, but you do not rewrite something that you passionately wrote about in the first place………..That would be reserved for the media guys who get paid to write their stuff, then change it to keep the complaints down (lol).

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